What is the First 90 Days course about?
Build credibility fast in the first 90 days with a clear, actionable plan for security leadership in PE-backed environments Each order is checked and updated against the latest insights before delivery. That is why access takes up to 24 hours rather than being instant.
What situation is the First 90 Days for?
Security leads arrive in fast-moving PE-backed startups with high expectations but limited runway. Without a structured 90-day plan, their work stays invisible until a risk event or audit forces attention. This course solves that by turning early actions into visible, value-aligned milestones.
Who is the First 90 Days course for?
Head of Information Security in a high-growth, investor-backed startup; needs to prove value quickly and operate with autonomy under tight timelines.
What do you take away from the First 90 Days course?
Deliver a credible 90-day security plan aligned to investor timelines Shift security from reactive to proactive visibility in leadership channels Reduce rework during funding checkpoints with pre-validated artefacts Earn early stakeholder trust through targeted deliverables Establish security as a growth enabler, not a gatekeeper.
How does this map to your situation?
Week 1: Assess and align Weeks 2, 4: Stabilize and communicate Weeks 5, 8: Execute and demonstrate Weeks 9, 12: Scale and influence.
What's included with your purchase?
12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters) Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access 30-day money-back guarantee.
What does the First 90 Days cover on delivery and format?
Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access. Time investment: 90 minutes per week for 12 weeks, or binge-complete in one weekend.
How does this compare to the alternatives?
Generic security frameworks lack startup context. Consultants charge $15k+ for similar plans. This course delivers a tailored, actionable path at 1% of the cost.
Closely related courses: Building Credibility in Crucial Conversations, Building Credibility in Team Building Dataset.
More answers: what you get with every course, refund policy, all help answers.
A tailored course, built for your situation
First 90 Days: Building Security Credibility in a Private Equity-Backed Startup
Build credibility fast in the first 90 days with a clear, actionable plan for security leadership in PE-backed environments
Each order is checked and updated against the latest insights before delivery. That is why access takes up to 24 hours rather than being instant.
The situation this course is for
Security leads arrive in fast-moving PE-backed startups with high expectations but limited runway. Without a structured 90-day plan, their work stays invisible until a risk event or audit forces attention. This course solves that by turning early actions into visible, value-aligned milestones.
Who this is for
Head of Information Security in a high-growth, investor-backed startup; needs to prove value quickly and operate with autonomy under tight timelines
Who this is not for
Security analysts focused on compliance checklists, consultants without startup experience, or executives seeking board-level narratives
What you walk away with
- Deliver a credible 90-day security plan aligned to investor timelines
- Shift security from reactive to proactive visibility in leadership channels
- Reduce rework during funding checkpoints with pre-validated artefacts
- Earn early stakeholder trust through targeted deliverables
- Establish security as a growth enabler, not a gatekeeper
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
- Understanding the PE investment lifecycle and security expectations
- Identifying key milestones that trigger security reviews
- Translating portfolio standards into local security actions
- Benchmarking against peer startup security rollouts
- Prioritizing controls that reduce time to value
- Mapping stakeholder influence across legal, ops, and tech
- Documenting assumptions for rapid credibility gains
- Using deal terms to justify early security investments
- Creating a security value statement for non-technical leaders
- Avoiding over-engineering in early-stage environments
- Balancing compliance readiness with agility
- Setting realistic expectations for security maturity
- Rapid infrastructure walkthroughs for incomplete environments
- Interviewing engineering leads without disrupting delivery
- Identifying shadow systems and undocumented dependencies
- Assessing vendor risk with partial contract visibility
- Using public data to supplement internal findings
- Triaging findings by business impact, not just severity
- Documenting gaps with neutral, evidence-backed language
- Avoiding alarmist framing in early reports
- Building trust through transparency, not fear
- Creating a shared understanding of risk posture
- Presenting findings to technical and non-technical audiences
- Using visuals to simplify complex technical debt
- Writing a one-page security roadmap for leadership
- Framing security outcomes as business enablers
- Aligning milestones with product and hiring plans
- Setting measurable goals for visibility and trust
- Incorporating feedback from early stakeholder talks
- Balancing quick wins with foundational work
- Avoiding over-promising in ambiguous environments
- Using peer benchmarks to justify pacing
- Integrating security into company-wide objectives
- Defining success beyond compliance checkboxes
- Linking security progress to retention and growth
- Communicating the vision across teams and levels
- Finding low-effort, high-visibility security improvements
- Aligning with engineering on shared pain points
- Fixing broken access patterns without policy rollouts
- Improving alert hygiene to reduce noise
- Documenting quick wins with before-and-after clarity
- Communicating progress without claiming ownership
- Partnering with IT on user-facing security upgrades
- Using incident response prep as a collaboration tool
- Leveraging vendor tools already in place
- Measuring the impact of early changes
- Turning small fixes into narrative momentum
- Avoiding the trap of solving everything at once
- Choosing the right cadence for security updates
- Writing executive summaries that stick
- Using dashboards to show progress without clutter
- Sharing risks in context, not isolation
- Normalizing security conversations in team meetings
- Creating a monthly security snapshot for leadership
- Handling questions without overcommitting
- Using storytelling to make technical work relatable
- Aligning messaging with company tone and values
- Integrating security into all-hands updates
- Responding to incidents with clarity and calm
- Building a reputation for reliability, not alarm
- Mapping the new hire journey for security touchpoints
- Embedding security training into existing onboarding
- Creating role-specific security guidance
- Automating access setup with least privilege
- Reducing friction in security tool adoption
- Using welcome emails to set expectations
- Measuring onboarding effectiveness over time
- Gathering feedback from new employees
- Partnering with HR on policy communication
- Highlighting security as part of company culture
- Avoiding information overload in first-week materials
- Making security feel supportive, not restrictive
- Defining what goes into a startup risk register
- Using simple classifications for fast triage
- Assigning ownership without creating bottlenecks
- Linking risks to business outcomes and timelines
- Updating the register with minimal overhead
- Sharing the register with stakeholders appropriately
- Using the register to justify resource asks
- Avoiding endless meetings around risk reviews
- Integrating findings from audits and assessments
- Tracking remediation progress visibly
- Connecting risks to product and engineering roadmaps
- Making the register a tool for alignment, not blame
- Understanding product development cycles in startups
- Embedding security in sprint planning and reviews
- Providing actionable feedback on design proposals
- Creating security guidelines that engineers actually use
- Using automation to reduce manual review burden
- Shifting left without slowing down releases
- Building trust through collaboration, not enforcement
- Attending stand-ups as a listener, not a critic
- Celebrating secure launches publicly
- Documenting shared wins with product teams
- Resolving conflicts with empathy and data
- Making security part of the engineering culture
- Identifying likely audit triggers and timelines
- Mapping existing controls to expected standards
- Gathering evidence proactively, not reactively
- Creating a single source of truth for documentation
- Training team members on audit responses
- Conducting internal dry runs with realistic scope
- Anticipating common findings and preparing responses
- Using audits to highlight progress, not just gaps
- Communicating audit status to leadership early
- Turning findings into action plans with owners
- Avoiding last-minute panic with steady preparation
- Positioning the audit as a milestone, not a threat
- Identifying when to formalize informal practices
- Automating repetitive security tasks
- Delegating ownership across teams
- Creating templates for repeatable decisions
- Using playbooks for consistent response patterns
- Avoiding premature process in early stages
- Measuring process efficiency over time
- Balancing consistency with flexibility
- Scaling documentation without creating shelfware
- Onboarding contractors and vendors securely
- Integrating new tools without disruption
- Keeping security lean and adaptive
- Delivering on small promises to build trust
- Creating predictable rhythms for security updates
- Reducing exceptions through clear policies
- Handling escalations with calm and clarity
- Making decisions with incomplete information
- Documenting reasoning for future reference
- Avoiding over-escalation of routine issues
- Building confidence through consistency
- Earning approval by reducing review burden
- Using data to support judgment calls
- Becoming the go-to for risk-informed choices
- Maintaining autonomy without isolation
- Identifying strategic initiatives where security adds value
- Joining cross-functional projects early
- Advising on M&A due diligence from a security view
- Shaping vendor selection with risk insights
- Influencing architecture decisions proactively
- Contributing to company strategy discussions
- Building relationships with peer functional leads
- Using credibility to advocate for long-term investments
- Expanding scope based on demonstrated value
- Positioning security as a growth accelerator
- Creating a roadmap beyond the first 90 days
- Turning visibility into lasting impact
How this maps to your situation
- Week 1: Assess and align
- Weeks 2, 4: Stabilize and communicate
- Weeks 5, 8: Execute and demonstrate
- Weeks 9, 12: Scale and influence
Before vs. after
What's included with your purchase
- 12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters)
- Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Delivery and format
- Course and learning environment access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Time investment: 90 minutes per week for 12 weeks, or binge-complete in one weekend.
How this compares to the alternatives
Generic security frameworks lack startup context. Consultants charge $15k+ for similar plans. This course delivers a tailored, actionable path at 1% of the cost.
Frequently asked
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.